Contacting finely divided solids with gases



Jan. 23, 1951 J. c. MUNDAY CONTACTING FINELY DIVIDED SOLIDS WITH CASES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 28, 1942 REA CTOR CA8 //VLET CAI'RIER GAS INLET @L LEVISL ,Uw

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Jan. 23, 1951 J. c. MUNDAY CONTACTING FINELY DIVIDED SOLIDS WITH GASES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 28, 1942 3 REACT/01V CHA M35 2 rye-4 Patented Jan. 23, 1951 v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTACTING FINELY DIVIDEDYSQLIDS WITH GASES John C. Munday Cranford, N. J. assignor to Standard Oil Development.Company, a corpo: ration of Delaware Application October 28; 1942,- Serial 310,463,653:

2 Claims. (01. 23:1

l 2 This inventionrelates to processes involving; the d istan ce irornthe top of the column, for exthe transfer of solid materials to and from a reacample, at about one .pound :per square inch for tion or treatingrzone, or between, two cr -more each five feet of-height-w-hen-the fluidized solid zones; It is: especially concerned with processes has a densityof about 28'pounds per cubic foot.- whereinthe solid material is in a finely divided 5 An important element of the invention residesform; in the control ot thedensity f finely divided; The. invention is applicable to-the treatment of. solids by varying'the amount of 'fluidizing gas solids,.- and to the treatment of gases with solids associated therewith Since. the. fluistatic presor-in the presence. of solids, and to reactions sure is directly related tQNthe dGnS it thQ press between solids. As-examples of the many proc l0 sure-developed:atithe bottomoi-a c0lumn of esses in which the invention'finds application fluidized solidcan be maintained as. desired the-following are given: the distillation of oil; through-the. addition of the proper amount oi; from oilshale, the carbonization of. coal, the; fluidizing: gas. Fonexamplethe. pressure in a roasting of ores; the reduction of metal oxides, standpipe can loci-controlled in this'man-ner. so;Y the. distillation of wood; the calcination of lime,-, that solid flows from the standpipe into a reactor stone, the productionof cement, the conversion of at the desired rate-. Similarly, solid can be withhydrocarbons in thepresence of catalytic or-nondrawn from a reactor at the. desired;rate-by.;concatalytic solids, theregeneration of solid catatrolling the density of the solid in the withdrawnlysts or contact agents-by burning, the evapora stream,

tion of liquids, and'the transferof heat-between A further important element which; is neces fluid streams by means of solids. saryiortheacontrol of solidfiow. by-the method One object of theinvention is. an improved of the present invention is the balancingof the method of controlling the transfer of solids tov pressure developed; in stand-pipes against the. and from reaction or treating zones. Another other pressures in the system, for example, back: object isv an im-proved method of *circulatingsolidg pressure exertedfrom-a reactor and -g as pressure, material through aplurality-of zones containingat the top of-a stand i e different gases or vaporswhile maintaining su-b Theimproved'methodds especially applicable. stantial isolation of the. gases present in the zones. to processes; wherein a; solid -material' is passed; Another object ofthe invention isianimproved; through a reactionzone from which air must -be. moving powder process-wherein structural steel; 30, excluded, or; through twoeor; more reaction zones; requirements and mechanical-controldevices in; containingdifierentgases whichmust be-kept contact with-erosivemoving-powderare reduced isolated from each-other. For example, inthe, to a, minimum. Other objects will appear .in the; catalytiocracking. of; hydrocarbon; oils, finely; description of the processqgiven-belowdivided catalyst is passed fi-rst-through-a reaction In carrying out-.-the;invention, the solid-mate 5 I zone wherein theoilis cracked and-thenthrough rial isremployed in a finely divided form, and is a regeneration zone whereincok-y deposits on the. maintainedin a freely-flowing state by the pres-i catalysts-are removedaby burning with air.- Much ence; o f-anaerating or fiuidizinggas; In this; of the early development inthe field of moving condition the finely divided-solid behaves -as-a solids was concerned-with methods'for the pre-. fluid and-can-be-pumpedor otherwise handled-as; 40 vention :offlblowback. of gases from onezone to a fluid in transierringitthrough thevarious steps another. of a,pr ocess. In order to ;ensure;. aperfectseal between'dif- For example, thefluidizedsolid can be transw ferentreaction zonestor between areactionzone ferredby means ofa mechanicaldevice such. as-vv and the. atmosphere, ithas been customary ,,in a screw rotating within a barrel, or a=star feedenprior processes to provide a relatively high presor a reciprocating piston. Another device for; suredrop on-thepowder passing from one zoneto the. handling of fluidized solids is the standpipe the other. In the-case of a standpipe, the.pres-.

} pump, wherein pressure is developed by theeffect sure drop-isetaken across a control valve situated of gravityon a confined vertical column of fluid,- at the standpipe. outlet, and theexistence of the ized; powder, In a simple iorm of the standpipe pressuredronas shown bymanometers for exam thesolid is carried to the topof thestandpipe by, ple, isindication that theseal isadequate-to premeans of a. gas stream, thecarrier gasis sep-I ventgas .blowback. Commercial plantslare dearated, and,the, solid is; passed down the .standsigned to operatewith apressuredrop acrosseach,

pipe;as.a dens fluidizedimassn The fluistatic control va1v famut5,poun p qua inch pressure-9f the, solid increas s.nrosressiv l with. .S nc one. nntr tva ye ,is. n cessa o c,0 1" TQl-r.-

ling the flow of catalyst to the reaction chamber and another for controlling the flow of catalyst to the regeneration chamber, the total pressure across both control valves amounts to pounds per square inch.

The pressure drops across the control valves in many designs are as great or greater than those encountered in overcoming all other frictional resistances in the system. The expense necessary to build up pressure continuously on the finely divided powder to overcome the pressure drop across the control valves in large scale units is a substantial item. For example, a single large sized screw pump of alloy steel may cost several hundred thousand dollars; while in the case of the standpipe pump 50 feet of extra standpipe height may be necessary to provide a 10-pound pressure drop across control valves, which requires large amounts of structural steelwork in order to support high in the air the heavy equipment such as reactors, hoppers, standpipes and the finely divided solid contained therein. One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide an improved process and apparatus which does not require the use of control valves for regulating the flow of solids through the circuit and which, therefore, materially reduces the amount of pressure which must be built up on the powder being circulated.

Having stated the general nature and objects, the invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawing wherein- Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic View of one form of apparatus forming a part of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a modification;

Fig. 3 is a top view of the modification shown in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of a further modification.

In the process illustrated in Fig. 1, the hydrocarbon oil feed, either in liouid or vapor form, is introduced into the system through line 3. The oil feed may be passed into transfer line 4 where it mixes with hot, freshly regenerated catalyst discharged through line 4 into the bottom of reactor In cases where liquid oil is used as feed, the temperature of the hot regenerated catalyst should be sufficient to vaporize a substantial amount of the oil and the amount of catalyst mixed with the oil should be sufficient to absorb completely any unvaporized oil so that the resulting mixture will be in the form of a relatively dry suspension of vapors and catalyst.

If desired, a portion or all of the oil feed may be passed from line 3 through lines I and 8 directly to the bottom of reactor I, thus by-passing transfer line 4. In cases where all of the oil by-passes the transfer line 4, a carrier gas, such as steam or refinery ases, may be introduced into transfer line 4 through line 6. The density of the material passing through transfer line 4 may be controlled by adiusting the amount of gas or vapors and catalyst introduced into transfer line 4.

The mixture of oil vapors and cataylst introduced into the reactor I passes from the bottom of the reactor upwardly through a grid 9 which distributes the suspension over the whole crosssectional area of the reaction zone into the main body of the reactor. Within the main body of the reactor, the velocity of the oil vapors is reduced so that the finely divided catalytic material tends to settle into a relatively dense mass which is maintained in a turbulent fluidized state by the upward passage of the oil vapors therethrough. When the velocity of the vapors passing upwardly through the catalyst mass is of the order of from 0.3 to 3.Q feet per second and when the powdered catalytic material is of the order of from 200 to 400 mesh, a mixture of catalyst and oil vapors within the reactor I separates into two sharply-defined phases, one a dense phase in the bottom section of the reactor having a definite upper level or meniscus and the other a dilute phase located above the dense phase. At higher gas velocities the level becomes less definite, and at still higher velocities disappears entirely. The dense phase in the preferred range of velocities has the appearance of a boilin liquid by reason of the passage therethrough of bubbles of gas or of solid-gas suspension, while above the level there is a suspension of solid in gas.

The zones containing the dense turbulent mass of catalytic material are sometimes called hindered settling zones to distinguish them from reaction zones wherein the catalytic material is carried in suspension by the gas passing therethrough. In the latter case, the catalytic material is not subjected to a turbulent churning action during passage through the reaction zone.

Due to the continuous churning of the solid in hindered settling zones, the temperature is practically constant throughout, even when highly endothermic or exothermic reactions are being carried out. A further advantage is the ease with which the temperature may be controlled in such reaction zones. For example, the temperature may be increased by the addition of a stream of hot fluidized solid or of hot gas, or it may be reduced by the addition of a stream of cool fluidized solid or cool gas or a cool vaporizable liquid. Despite the fact that the temperature of the hot or cold stream may be widely different from that of the reactor, the temperature in a hindered settling zone may vary throughout by no more than 5 or 10 F.

The density of the solid in hindered settling zones and the amount of solid carried out with the gas depend on a number of factors, such as the velocity of the vapors, the specific gravity of the so id, the size of the particles, the particle size range, the rates of solid addition and withdrawal, and the depth of the dilute phase in the upper portion of the reactor. The eifect of these factors is easily determined for a given material, but as an example of the magnitude of the quantities involved it may be stated that when employing solid, the bulk of which is in the particle size range of from 200400 mesh and having a bulk density when freely settled of about 35 to pounds per cubic foot, the linear upward gas velocity through the reactor may be from 0.5 to 10.0 feet per second and the density of the dense phase in the reactor may be from 5 to 25 pounds per cubic foot. In general, in many processes the higher densities are preferred since higher capacities per unit volume are obtained thereby. The carry-over of solid, even of finely powdered solid, with the gas leaving the hindered settling zone may be very small if proper conditions are employed. For example, the carry-over may be of the order of a few thousandths of a pound per cubic foot if the gas velocity in the free settling space is low, such as one or two feet per second, and if a free settling space of from 5 to 15 feet is provided above the dense phase. 7

The oil vapors after passing upwardly through the turbulent mass of fluidized catalyst asscgaes in the reactor I pass throughlmulticlone sepae rator lflor other suitable separating device. lo-.. catd'in thetop section of the reactor I, wher.e.-. in entrained catalyst isseparated therefrom.m Separated catalyst is returned to. the 'reaction;

zone-through pipe I3.;.which preferably dips :below the level of dense fluidized power in reac tion zone I.

The cracked vapors after passing. through; separator ID are removed from the reactor I through. line I I having'a control valve I2. The: oilvapors-withdrawn from thereactor'I through" line I are passed tosuitables fractionating; separating 'and recovery equipment (not shown).

for separating and recovering the desired prod--- ucts: therefrom.

catalytic material 1 containing carbonaceous:

deposits formed during the cracking process is; continuously withdrawn from the reactionchamber I through a vertical column or conduit; I4:

forming a standpipe; The catalytic material passing through the standpipe I4 discharges into a transfer line I5 wherein it intermixes with a carrier gas introduced. through line I6.

it may be a'relatively inert gas, suchas steam, spent combustion gases "or the like.

through transfer line I5 intoa vertical leg I! into the bottom portion of'regenerator 2. Additional oxidizinggasmay be introduced into the bottom sectionof the regenerator. 2 through line I8.

The density of the'mixture' of spent catalytic material and carrier gas passing upwardly through the'vertical leg I1 may be controlled by regulating the amount of carrier gas passing into thetransfer line I5 and the amount of gas passing through line I8.

The regenerator is preferably. provided with a conical bottom section having a perforated grid plate. I9 through which the'suspension of catalyst and gas'passes into the mainbody of'th'e:

regenerating chamber. The regenerat ng chamber ma be of the same construction andthe velocity of the oxidizing gas passing therethrou'gh maybe controlled as describedin conne'ctionwvithreactionchamber I so as to maintain a'a.dense turbulent phase of catalytic mate Y rialundergoing regeneration in the bottom por tion'ofthe regenerator superimposed bya d lute" suspension of spent regenerating gas and. entrainedcata ytic material.

catalytic material through line 22 having a-control valve 23 and may'be'passed tofurther separatng andheat" recovery "equipment which, for purposes of simplicity, have'not been shown on the drawings; Catalytic material removed from generating gas in the separator 2| may be re-- turned'tothe regenerating chamber through line'- 24, Line 24 preferably terminates belowthe dense phaselevel of catalytic'materialtherein;

Regenerated catalyst, which has been sub- Thev carrier gas may be air or other oxidizing gas or The mixture of-catalytic material and carrier gas. is passed- The spent combus-n tiongases after passing through the regenerator 2 pass=to a multiclone separator 21 or other suitab1eseparating device for removing entrained therefrom. After passing through the separator 2|, the spent regenerating gas" may be removed from the regeneratorthe spent rejected to oxidizing treatment to remove carbo naceous deposits therefrom within regenerator 2, is' continuous-1y--remo'ved therefromthrough a vertical column or standpipe 5 and discharged into the-oil streamleading-to the reaction cham berj I, as previousl described.

The catalyst the standpipes' 5 and' l 4 should bemaintainedin-a freely flowing fluidized state to buildup fluistatic pressure at the bottom there.-:. of. Inmanycases it is desirable to introduce a:.

fluidizing gas through lines 25 and 26iinto standpipes 5. and 14, respectively; The fiuidizing gas may be .airor hydrocarbon or'an inert gas such.v

as'nitrogen, steam orflue gas, and it may be introduced at'one or morepoints in the standpipe. The density of the catalyst in the standpipes and.

therfiuistatic pressure developed therein are controlled by the amount of fluidizing gas introduced; Valve 2] in standpipelii-and valve 23 in standpipe I4 may be 'provided'for safety purposes; These -1 valves "maybe operated automatically by instruments designed to indicate unbalance in the; system to an extreme degree, for example, inthe". gas pressures above "the'catalystlevels 28 in re actor I and 3flin regenerator 2, or in the levels;

themselves:

The-circulation of catalytic material from the regeneration chamber 2 to the reaction chamber I iscaused by 'diiference'in pressureon the catalytic material at the base of the standpipe 5 and j the inlet pressure on the material passing through the transfer line 4.

The total pressure at the base of the standpipe 5 is, in' turn, equal to the sum of the fiuistatic pressures developed by the standpipe 5 and by the. dense layer of catalytic material within the reaction chamber I above the standpipe and the back pressures on the regeneration gas in the upper.

portion of the chamber 2 above the level of the dense, fluidized mass;

The pressure on the material passing through the transfer line 4 must, in turn, be suflicient to;- overcome the pressure drop through the transfer line 4, the pressure'drop across the grid 9; the" fluistatic pressure developed by the dense, fluidized mass of catalytic material withinthe reaction chamber I, and the back'pressure on the oil vapors'in the upper'portion of the reaction chamber; The pressure-drop through the transfer line 4 may be regulated within limits by controlling the density of the suspension passing there-- through. In other-worda-increasing the density' of "the suspension increases the-pressure drop.-

The circulation of catalytic material'from the chamber I to the regeneration chamber? is ac complishedin the reverse manner: In order'to circulate catalytic material'from one chamber to the other, it is-therefore essential that the total pressure atthe base of the standpipes be slightly greaterthan the pressure at the inlet of the transfer line. and the rate of circulation depends directly on the standpipe and transfer -line pres'- sure di'iferential. By increasing the pressure differential, the flow may be increased and by de creasing. thefiow may be decreased.

The total pressure at the base of the standpipe 5' or"I4 maybe varied by any oneor more of the followingways: first; by changing the back pressure on the gases in the upper portion of the re- 3 action-chamber; second, by changing the densityof {the laye'n'of "fluidized solids within the reaction or regenerating' chamber-above the standpipe; andthird, by changing the amount of fiui statiopressure'developed'by the standpipes 5 and I4; 'I h e latter may be accomplish'ediby varying the amount'offluidi'zirig gas introduced into the a standpipeth'rough lines 25' and-26;

Th i'bressure attheinlet of the transfer line, on the o'ther hand; maybe variedin the following waysi first; by changing the' density of the catalyst-gas-mixture passing through the transfer a line. This may bedoneby-changing:therelative proportions of oil passing through transfer line A and by-pass line I or the relative proportions of regenerating gas passing through transfer line H: and by-pass line !8; second, by reducing the fluistatic pressure developed at the base of the fluidized layer of solid material into which the transfer line discharges. This may be done by reducing the level or the density of the fluidized mass within the latter chamber; third, by reducing the pressure in the chamber in which the transfer line discharges.

It will be apparent from the above that a number of different variables may be utilized for controlling the flow of catalytic material through the chambers without the use of control valves. In general, it is preferred to control the rate of flow through the circuit previously described by varying the density within the standpipes.

Similarly the relative amount of catalytic material in the reaction and regenerating zones may be controlled. For illustrative purposes, Fig. 1 shows the dense phase catalytic material in the regenerator on the same level as that in the reaction chamber. If it is desired to increase the amount of catalytic material in the reactor or decrease that in the regenerator, the circulation of catalyst from the regenerator to the reaction chamber may be increased by increasing the back pressure on the regeneration gases, increasing the pressure developed by the standpipe by reducing the amount of fluidizing gas introduced through line 25, and by increasing the amount of oil vapors passing through the transfer line to thereby reduce the pressure drop through the transfer line 4 or by a combination of these factors. Under such conditions the catalytic material will flow from the regenerator to the reaction chamber at a faster rate than it will flow from the reaction chamber to the regenerator until the level of dense fluidized mass of catalytic material in reaction chamber has been raised to such a point that the additional fluistatic pressure developed at the base of the fluidized mass within the reaction chamber equals the change in pressure on the regenerator side of the circuit. At this point, equilibrium is again reached and the catalyst flows from one chamber to the other and back at the same rate.

The present invention proposes to regulate the rate of flow through the circuit and the amount of catalyst contained in the separate treating zones by varying the ratio of solid material to gas in the various parts of the circuit above described rather than by employing control valves. Divisional application Serial No. 152,886, filed March 30, 1950, covers the subject matter of Fig. 1.

Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate a modified form of ap paratus for carrying out the invention. Referring particularly to Fig. 2, the oil or other gases to be treated in introduced through line 30 having a plurality of branch lines 3 i, 32 and 33 lead-- ing to trough-shaped distributing chambers 34, 35 and 36, respectively. The upper end of the trough-shaped distributing chambers 34, 35 and 36 are provided with a perforated grid 3'! through which the oil vapors or other gases to be treated pass into the main reaction chamber 38 which contains finely-divided solid contact material. In lieu of using a plurality of trough-shaped distributing chambers 34, 35 and 36, a single coneshaped distributing chamber may be provided. However, it is preferred to employ a plurality of trough-shaped sections, as shown, in order to reduce the height of the reactor.

The velocity of the oil vapors passing upwardly through the reaction chamber 38 is controlled to maintain a dense, fluidized, turbulent mass of finely-divided contact material, as previously described in connection with Fig. 1.

The oil vapors or other gases to be treated after passing through the dense, turbulent mass of finely-divided solid material in the reaction chamber 38 are removed overhead through line 39 having a control valve 40 and may be passed to suitable fractionating or recovery equipment for separating the desired final products therefrom. In most cases, it is desirable to provide cyclone separators or other suitable devices for removing entrained solids from the gaseous reaction products before subjecting them to final fractionation. To this end a multiclone separator (not shown) may be positioned in the upper portion of the reaction chamber 38, as shown in Fig. 1.

Positioned within the reaction chamber 38 is a vertical column or conduit 4! which terminates below the level of the dense, turbulent mass of contact material therein. A portion of the finely-divided contact material maintained in the reaction chamber 38 continuously settles into the vertical conduit 3|. The bottom of the vertical conduit 4! extends through the shell of the reaction chamber 38 and projects into a separate treating chamber 42 near the bottom portion thereof. A safety valve is may be provided in the conduit between the chambers 38 and 42, as shown. The chamber 42 may function as a regeneration chamber for removing carbonaceous deposits from the solid contact material intro duced therein, or it may serve to subject the solid catalytic material to heating or cooling treatment prior to return of said contact material to the reaction chamber, as later described.

The finely-divided solid material within the reaction chamber 38 continuously collects in the vertical column '45 positioned therein and is continuously discharged into the treating chamber 42. The vertical conduit M positioned within the reaction chamber 38 forms a standpipe for building up sufiicient pressure on the solid material to cause it to flow from the reaction chamber into the treating chamber i2 and to prevent gases passing through the treating chamber 42 from passing into the reaction chamber 38. Since the solid material settling or collecting in the vertical conduit Al is not subjected to the upward passage of the gases therethrough, the contact material tends to settle into a relatively dense mass within the conduit. An aerating or fluidizing gas is admitted into the conduit ll through line 44 to maintain the finely-divided material in a freely flowing fluidized state within the conduit 4 l. The amount of fluidizing gas admitted into the column or conduit M through line 44 may be controlled to increase or decrease the amount of pressure developed within this conduit and thereby regulate the rate of flow of finely-divided material from the reaction chamber 38 to the treating chamber :2, as previously described in connection with Fig. 1.

The treating chamber 42 is preferably of the same construction as the reaction chamber 38. Gases are introduced into the treating chamber 42 through line 45 having branch lines 46, 4'! and 48 which terminate within a plurality of trough-shaped distributing chambers 49, 50 and 5|. Positioned above the trough-shaped distributing chambers 49, 50 and 51 is a perforated grid plate 52 through which the treating gases pass '1 into the 7 main 1 bodyof the treating chamber. The gases "introduced.throughsline 145 may be can oxidizing gas employed for burning carbona- -:ceous.- deposits from; the contact material,-or it :mayrbdaheatingor cooling gas to add or extract 1 heat. from the contact material within the treating chamber42, or any other typeof gases which may beiutilized for conditioning the finely-divided material within the treating chamber. The ve- :;locity ,of the treating gas passing upwardly through the treating chamber is preferably -..-controlled as. previously described, to maintain a dense, fluidized layerof finely-divided solid material therein. The. treating gases after passing through thelayer of flnelyrdivided solid material iiwithinthe treating chamber 42 are removedover- .2 head through line 53 which-may be provided with .aa:epressurezcontrol valve 54. jThese products may bezpassed' to. suitable cyclone or other separators for removing entrained solids therefrom and may also be subjected to? :further processing for re- ...covery, of heat in suitable. apparatus ,(not shown).

Positioned within the treatin chamber 42 is a vertical conduit or standpine '55 sim lar to the conduit 4| in reaction chamber 38. The bottom.

of. this conduit is in open communication with :Ithe reaction chamber I through horizo-ntal condult-55 which may have:.a-.safety valve'51.

As illustrated, finely-divided catalvtic material ,czdischarges through the vertical, conduit-4| into; the ebottom section of the treating chamber 42 and .finelye'dividcd catalytic. material continuously :passes from the "treating chamber 42 into the vertical conduit 55 which, discharges into the bottom port on of the treating chamber 38.

lThe. reaction chamber 38 and the treating chamber. :22 are preferablvprovided with vertical 1-partition plates 58.,and. 59,. respectively, between the conduits introducing and removing the solid contact material into the chambers, as showni.

more clearly in Fig. 3.

Horizontal distributing-bane plates 6 lw and 62, respectively, may be provided below the discharge openings of the conduits 4| and 55. The finelydivided contact material passing through the vertical conduit 55 is also maintained in a freely flowing fluidized state by introduction of a fluidizing gas through line 63 and the amount of fluidizing gas so introduced may be regulated to control the amount of pressure developed in the vertical portion of the conduit 55, as previously described with reference to conduit 4|.

The pressure necessary for causing the finelydivided contact mater al to circulate from the reaction chamber 38 to the treating chamber 42 and from the treating chamber 42 to the reaction chamber 38 is developed within the vert cal conduits 4i and 55. As previously described with reference to Fig. 1, the rate of flow of the finelydi ided contact material from one chamber to the other may be regulated by varying the back pressure on the gases above the dense layer of finelydivided material in the reaction chambers 38 and 42, by regulating the height of the dense layer above the top of the standpipe or vertical conduits 4i and 55, and by regulating the fluistatic pressure developed within the conduits 4| and 55 by varying the amount of fluidizing gas introduced therein.

As illustrated in Fig. 3, the diameter of the treating chamber 38 may be smaller than the diameter of the conditioning chamber 42. The relative diameters of the two chambers will be determined by the desired time of contact of the solid material within the respective chambers.

Fig. 4 illustrates a further modification in which -.ethe circulation of the finely-divided solid through the reaction. and conditioning chambers is controlled by regulating the. relative ,densities of the -fluidized mass -Within the: chambers. This may the done. by.-v.arying the ,volume and. velocity of gases-.-passingi through the .individual chambers. Thetimaof contactofathe gases within the two ;--chambers, as shown inFig, 4;;may be controlled 10 by yvarying-.the;pressure on .the gases contained within. the chambers.

,The general construction. and assembly of the a paratus.illustrated-inl ig;lare similar to that a shown: in-F'igs. 2 and- 3. .For example, the oil or Mother-gases. to be treated-may be introduced into -'--thei--base of the reaction chamber 'H- through a plurality 1 of trough --shaped distr! buting chambers -l2,-73 ;and-14 and thei -gases employed for con- -ditioning the contact mass in the conditioning chamber, maybe introduced through line 15 pinto. aplu-rality-oiitroughpsections l1, l8 and 19. .A conduit 8 l having a -safetycontrol valve affords communication between the two chambers adjacentthe bottom-= thereof. A second conduit 82 ;;having= a safety valve r-provides communication between the. two chambers at an intermediate :point thereinbelow thelevel of the fluidized mass. :The; gases passing pwardly through the fluidized "mass in the treating chamber H are controlled, -as:described=;in previous: figures, to maintain a -dense layer :of solidpfluidized, mater altherein and the volume and velocity f thetreating gases passupwardly through the conditioning chamber #715 318QISO'COl'lllI'OllGdso as to maintain a dense .135 layer of fluidized material therein. The circula- ,:,tion--of;.:the solid: material between chambers H and 15; is accomplished by -maintaining a difier- :nentden-sity withinytheffluidized mass in the two i: chambers. For example, the volume and velocity f gasespassing through the conditionin chams ;-ber;15.maybe controlledtomaintain a, more dense :layer .offluidizcdsolid-therein. This higher density will increase the fiuistatic pressure developed by said mass and cause the passage of the finely- 45 divided solid from the cond tioning chamber 15 into the reaction chamber H through the lower communicating conduit 8| wherein the density is reduced to such a point that the level of the dense, fluidized layer of solid material in the reaction ohamb-r H is of sufiicient he ght above the inlet of conduit 82 to build up a fluistatic pressure at the inlet of conduit 82 greater than the fluistatic pressure developed by the dense mass above the outlet of conduit 82. This will cause the finely-divided material to pass from the less dense fluidized mass n the reaction chamber 1| back into the c nditioning chamber 15 through conduit 82. The driving force causing the circulation of the solid material between the two chambers depends upon the relative densities of the fluidized mass in the two chambers between the condu ts I and B2. The time of contact of the gases within the reaction cha mber and the levels maintained therein may be controlled by varying the pr ssure on the ases in the two chambers.

It will be noted, therefore, that the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 4 does not require the use of standpipes for restoring pressure on the finelydivided solid material, but utilizes the fiuistatic pressure on the layer of fluidized mass within the two chambers for effecting the circulation.

Having described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that it embraces such other variations and modifications as come within the spirit and scope thereof.

I claim:

1. In a process for treating finely divided solids with separate and independent streams of gas in separate contacting zones disposed side by side and communicating with each other through a passageway interconnecting the bottom portions of the two zones and a second passageway interconnecting intermediate portions of the contacting zones; the improvement in the method of controlling the flow of such solids between said zones which comprises passing a stream of gas upwardly through the first of said contacting zones at a velocity adjusted to maintain a layer of fluidized solids in the lower section of said zone, passing a stream of gas upwardly through the second contacting zone at a velocity relatively lower than the velocity of the gas passing through the first contacting zone to maintain a layer of fluidized solids more dense than that maintained in the first contacting zone, keeping sufiicient finely divided material in both of said contacting zones to maintain the upper level of said layers above the intermediate communicating passageway, maintaining the level of the layer of fluidized solids in the first contacting zone at a suflicient distance above the inlet to the passageway interconnecting intermediate portions of the contacting zones to develop a pseudo-hydrostatic pressure at said inlet which is greater than the pseudo-hydrostatic pressure existing at the outlet end of said passageway developed by the level of the more dense layer of fluidized solids in said second contacting zone above said outlet and thereby causing a stream of finely divided solids to flow from the less dense layer in said first contacting zone through said intermediate communicating passageway into the more dense layer in said second contacting zone, maintaining the top level of the layer of fluidized solids in said second con- 40 tacting zone a sufiicient height above the inlet to the passageway connecting the bottom portions of the two zones to develop a pseudo-hydrostatic pressure at the last named inlet which is greater than the pseudo-hydrostatic pressure existing at the outlet end of the passageway connecting the bottom portions of the two zones developed by the level of said less dense layer of fluidized solids in said first contacting zone above the last mentioned outlet thereby causing a stream of finely divided solids to fiow from said more dense layer in said second contacting zone through the passageway connecting the bottom portion of the two zones into the less dense layer in said first contacting zone.

2. The process defined by claim 1, the further improvement which comprises controlling the rate of transfer of solids between the two contacting zones by varying the relative velocity of the gases passing through said contacting zones.

JOHN C. MUNDAY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,984,380 Odell Dec. 18, 1934 2,253,486 Belchetz Aug. 19, 1941 2,285,804 Campbell -1 June 9, 1942 2,289,329 Priclcett July 7, 1942 2,309,034 Barr Jan. 19, 1943 2,311,564 Munday Feb. 16, 1943 2,326,705 Thiele et al Aug. 10, 1943 2,327,175 Conn Aug. 17, 1943 2,337,684 Scheineman Dec. 28, 1943 2,366,372 Voorhees Jan. 2, 1945 2,378,542 Edmister June 19, 1945 2,464,812 Johnson Mar. 22, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 23,045 Great Britain of 1910 

1. IN A PROCESS FOR TREATING FINELY DIVIDED SOLIDS WITH SEPARATE AND INDEPENDENT STREAMS OF GAS IN SEPARATE CONTACTING ZONES DISPOSED SIDE BY SIDE AND COMMUNICATING WITH EACH OTHER THROUGH A PASSAGEWAY INTERCONNECTING THE BOTTOM PORTIONS OF THE TWO ZONES AND A SECOND PASSAGEWAY INTERCONNECTING INTERMEDIATE PORTIONS OF THE CONTACTING ZONES; THE IMPROVEMENT IN THE METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF SUCH SOLIDS BETWEEN SAID ZONES WHICH COMPRISES PASSING A STREAM OF GAS UPWARDLY THROUGH THE FIRST OF SAID CONTACTING ZONES AT A VELOCITY ADJUSTED TO MAINTAIN A LAYER OF FLUIDIZED SOLIDS IN THE LOWER SECTION OF SAID ZONE, PASSING A STREAM OF GAS UPWARDLY THROUGH THE SECOND CONTACTING ZONE AT A VELOCITY RELATIVELY LOWER THAN THE VELOCITY OF THE GAS PASSING THROUGH THE FIRST CONTACTING ZONE TO MAINTAIN A LAYER OF FLUIDIZED SOLIDS MORE DENSE THAN THAT MAINTAINED IN THE FIRST CONTACTING ZONE, KEEPING SUFFICIENT FINELY DIVIDED MATERIAL IN BOTH OF SAID CONTACTING ZONES TO MAINTAIN THE UPPER LEVEL OF SAID LAYERS ABOVE THE INTERMEDIATE COMMUNICATING PASSAGEWAY, MAINTAINING THE LEVEL OF THE LAYER OF FLUIDIZED SOLIDS IN THE FIRST CONTACTING ZONE AT A SUFFICIENT DISTANCE ABOVE THE INLET TO THE PASSAGEWAY INTERCONNECTING INTERMEDIATE PORTIONS OF THE CONTACTING ZONES TO DEVELOP A PSEUDO-HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE AT SAID INLET WHICH IS GREATER THAN THE PSEUDO-HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE EXISTING AT THE OUTER END OF SAID PASSAGEWAY DEVELOPED BY THE LEVEL OF THE MORE DENSE LAYER OF FLUIDIZED SOLIDS IN SAID SECOND CONTACTING ZONE ABOVE SAID OUTLET AND THEREBY CAUSING A STREAM OF FINELY DIVIDED SOLIDS TO FLOW FROM THE LESS DENSE LAYER IN SAID FIRST CONTACTING ZONE THROUGH SAID INTERMEDIATE COMMUNICATING PASSAGEWAY INTO THE MORE DENSE LAYER IN SAID SECOND CONTACTING ZONE, MAINTAINING THE TOP LEVEL OF THE LAYER OF FLUIDIZED SOLIDS IN SAID SECOND CONTACTING ZONE A SUFFICIENT HEIGHT ABOVE THE INLET TO THE PASSAGEWAY CONNECTING THE BOTTOM PORTIONS OF THE TWO ZONES TO DEVELOP A PSEUDO-HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE AT THE LAST NAMED INLET WHICH IS GREATER THAN THE PSEUDO-HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE EXISTING AT THE OUTLET END OF THE PASSAGEWAY CONNECTING THE BOTTOM PORTIONS OF THE TWO ZONES DEVELOPED BY THE LEVEL OF SAID LESS DENSE LAYER OF FLUIDIZED SOLIDS IN SAID FIRST CONTACTING ZONE ABOVE THE LAST MENTIONED OUTLET THEREBY CAUSING A STREAM OF FINELY DIVIDED SOLIDS TO FLOW FROM SAID MORE DENSE LAYER IN SAID SECOND CONTACTING ZONE THROUGH THE PASSAGEWAY CONNECTING THE BOTTOM PORTION OF THE TWO ZONES INTO THE LESS DENSE LAYER IN SAID FIRST CONTACTING ZONE. 